Union Railway Ministry deserves appreciation in doing away with VVIP culture of providing salon-facilities and domestic-help for its senior officers till now entitled for such princely privileges. Even protocol of compulsory presence of senior officers of rank of General Managers at time of arrival and departure of Chairman and other members of Railway Board, is now not required. Even flower-bouquets for greeting senior officers now stay banned.
Such abolition of VVIP culture should be universally for every, ministry, department, undertaking in central and state governments. Present system of compulsory presence of senior government-officers at arrival and departure of judges and others holding equivalent rank during their official or non-official visits, should be done away. Wasteful expenditure in providing a pilot-car being changed with change in jurisdiction of every police-station should also be stopped. It is shocking that while Union Railway Ministry has now done away with system of domestic help for its senior officers, Supreme Court judges some time back gifted for themselves and their spouses, life-time domestic help at government-expense even after retirement. Judges of higher courts should also have only such post-retirement facilities which bureaucrats enjoy. Even political rulers must not get special post-retirement facilities. Even retired American President gets just fifty-per cent of last-drawn salary as only post-retirement benefit, and not even any government-accommodation.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
